OGTAG Mid-year 2018 Update

Early in 2017, the Oil and Gas Trafficking Advocacy Group was launched by OVS Group in partnership with Elijah Rising to raise awareness within the Oil and Gas industry about human trafficking. Since then, the group has continued to expand, and now includes a number of oil and gas operators and service companies.

On September 18th, OGTAG will hold its next meeting in downtown Houston. We look forward to an important discussion with our partners at Chevron on the role the oil and gas community can play in ending human trafficking. Please email OGTAG@ovsgroup.com for more information by Sept. 13th, 2018.

Included in this post are highlights of the efforts the oil and gas community, from upstream to downstream, has taken to help end trafficking. These efforts include industry-government collaboration, awareness and educational initiatives, support of victim rehabilitation programs, and public awareness campaigns specific actions can be found below:

ConocoPhillips partnered with Truckers Against Trafficking to host Coalition Build events in 2017 in Kenedy, Texas and North Dakota.

The Offshore Technology Conference partnered with United Against Human Trafficking for the fourth year to provide awareness to the industry.

Truckers Against Trafficking’s Freedom Drivers Project, a mobile museum to serve as an education platform, has been utilized by various oil and gas companies. Drivers are now better equipped to recognize trafficking and report it.

In June 2018, a session was held by the Railroad Commissioner and the Texas OGA in conjunction with Governor’s Office in Austin to discuss trafficking. RRC issued a press release about the meeting: http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/all-news/071018b/

OVS Group worked with various agencies to create a mobile app to facilitate the identification and recovery of victims of human trafficking and provide coordinated care.

In November 2018, Apache and Noble Energy are co-hosting a Coalition Build in Pecos, Texas in conjunction with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Truckers Against Trafficking and the local community. The event is focused on bringing together key O&G industry stakeholders to effectively combat trafficking in the Permian Basin.

RedM movement launched to coordinate marketing strategy for Redeemed, an organization supporting US trafficked women and girls’ recovery program in Houston. Volunteers from National Oilwell Varco (NOV) are leading the efforts.